PLEASANT HILL -- A gay teenager denied his Eagle Scout award because of his sexuality turned in an online petition with more than 400,000 signatures Wednesday urging the National Boy Scouts of America to change its policies against allowing gay members.

Ryan Andresen of Moraga marched into the front office of the Mt. Diablo Silverado Council on Ellinwood Way along with his parents and a former member of the same Boy Scout troop who came out as gay two weeks ago. Assemblymember Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, also attended and presented Andresen with a resolution honoring his achievements with the Boy Scouts.

"It went about as expected," the 18-year-old said of the meeting with Alan T. Young, the program director for the Council, which oversees Andresen's troop. "I did get a chance to ask what I wanted. I didn't choose my sexuality, just like he didn't choose his. So I asked what made me any less adequate than him. He didn't answer. That says a lot."

Andresen collected 410,564 signatures on an online petition his mother, Karen, posted on Change.org after her son, a student at Maybeck High School in Berkeley, was denied Eagle Scout status after revealing he is gay. Young did not address the media directly, but his office issued a statement that said Andresen was denied his Eagle Scout status because "he does not subscribe to (Boy Scouts') Declaration of Religious Principle' and does not meet Scouting's membership

I commend this kid for the effort he made towards attaining Eagle Scout; it's a shame he forgot the ideals that go with Scouting. It was obviously far more important for him to make a social political/political correctness statement than to adhere to the principals that have guided the BSA for many decades. The BSA was forced to release names of adults (makes me sick to call them leaders) that prescribe to the life style this young man chose to follow. I don't understand why people of his persuasions do not start their own organization and enjoy life as they choose. I wish him a happy life but hope the BSA rejects his petition.

5% of scouts attain Eagle Scout status. It takes, on average, 4.5 years to earn it. The average age upon award is 15.5 years. My understanding is that the cutoff age is 18. If you are that age aren’t we talking about mixing foxes with chickens, especially if the fox is thinking he’s gay? The assumption is that a “clean” scout is celibate. Methinks this young man needs to put away childish things and move on.

Sorry not willing to let young boys go out into the woods alone away from their family with other gay scout leaders or boy scouts. I wonder if NAMBLA is working behind the scenes to make this happen. It would give them access to young boys if the members applied to be scout leaders. I know its even sickening to even go there but in this day and age nothing surprises me anymore.

What part of "and keep myself...MORALLY STRAIGHT" don't they understand??? If they don't like it, then they can create their own gay organization that caters to them. I've had it with them shoving their agenda and "values" down my throat.

I earned my Eagle Scout at 12 in 1963; exception waiver given by Hon Pres, JFK, on Nov 20th, 2 days before he was assassinated. I still carry my dated, laminated BSA Eagle wallet card, and have my ES Certificate, God & Country, Order of The Arrow Certs in my office.

Let the homo/pervert kid join something else; the BSA is a private organization and can refuse membership. Screw the United Way etc funds; we can fund it independently and preserve the morals I pledged to, in my Eagle Ceremony.

16
posted on 10/20/2012 4:07:38 PM PDT
by carriage_hill
(The 0bummer Penguin & Bidet Joker: We played this country like a harp from hell.)

Oh for Heaven’s sake....here we go again with one more Communist step.....get rid of morals along with religion. Lets have names of his supporters....Leave this BSA troop alone.....form your own group and do as you wish...adequate has nothing to do with it.

20
posted on 10/20/2012 4:10:43 PM PDT
by yoe
(Vote for the Real American whose love for his country was NEVER in question.)

They understand that it’s easy to get what they want by redefining the language involved. Thus “Morally Straight” becomes “Gay is a moral choice and you are a homophobe bigot for claiming anything contrary”.

The MSM rants and raves endlessly, fence sitters capitulate to stop hearing the whining and the definition of morality is sacrificed on the PC altar.

Once Gay is propagandized sufficiently as a ‘normal’ aspect of what society considers moral, the BSA/ military et all cannot use it as an argument because, as we all know “Gay is a moral choice”.

Stories such as this never mention when the kid had his first homosexual encounter that convinced him he was homosexual. Nor do they mention that the likelyhood of that first encounter was with a homosexual adult........They are mentored, pure and simple.

31
posted on 10/20/2012 4:20:12 PM PDT
by Hot Tabasco
(Jab him with a harpoon.....)

Ryan Andresen of Moraga marched into the front office of the Mt. Diablo Silverado Council on Ellinwood Way along with his parents and a former member of the same Boy Scout troop who came out as gay two weeks ago.
...........................................................
Kinda makes me wonder if Ryan helped this other kid come out. That’s why Scouts do not need young perverts in their ranks..

From the article, Ryan says: By asking me to lie about who I am, the Scouts are going against their own values of being trustworthy.

Here is the center of his flawed logic. Nobody is asking him to lie about who he is - he can be a person who suffers from same-sex attraction, and it may in fact be something with a physiological root. However, having same-sex attraction does not imply that one must identify as "homosexual" or embrace the "gay" lifestyle. That is the part that goes against the ideals of Scouting.

The best witness that he can give to the ideals of Scouting is the same as I would say that a Christian with SSA can give: embrace a celibate lifestyle instead of the gay lifestyle. There are groups like Courage to help support people as they struggle to build the habits to live chastely.

Homosexuals target boys who are troubled. They’ve been known to hang around them for years before making an overt move. Studies show that homosexuals targeting boys is the norm among them. So I think pin pointing a first homosexual encounter wouldn’t be possible.

Bill’s a heck of a Scout ;-). #2 son will have his Eagle project underway before the end of this year, and then we have a long break because the next son is only 10 (Webelos 2, “Ice Dragons Patrol”).

Boy Scouts is a great organization for the whole family. We only wish that, as in most countries, boys and girls did parallel programs within the same organization. Practically everyone I know with Girl Scouts experience would like to have Packs or Troops of girls doing the same program as the boys!

47
posted on 10/20/2012 4:48:08 PM PDT
by Tax-chick
("You know I'm always there for you," he told her, as he hurried out the door.)

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